A/N- So Here is another one! Sorry it took so long, I've had strep and an ear infection and then Easter so I have had a lot to do...a lot...ah well!
Ch 4
A Meeting with the Soon-To-Be In-Laws and a Flirtatious First Kiss
"What!? I'm getting married? To you?!" I shouted as I stood from my seat at the table
"Yes, My dear, I'm sorry if you are disappointed. While you have been passed out for the past three days, your human system is not used to the magic in the underground, I have planned our engagement party. Tomorrow we are having a ball and, hopeful, we will announce our engagement by the end of the party." Jareth said, easing me back into my chair and sitting into his. I started to laugh hysterically before he asked what I was laughing about
"I had a plot for a story just like this and now I'm living it!" I chuckled out
Jareth shook his head as I started to calm down, realizing that even if this was a dream it didn't matter I was still living my dream.
"Our tailor will be coming after breakfast to prepare your new wardrobe and dress for the ball and my new dress coat, You will also begin your lessons." Jareth said as he took my hand when I had finished eating.
"Lessons? What am I learning? How to kick goblins 101?" I said with a smirk and an eyebrow raised
Jareth chuckled before saying
"You need to learn about the history of the labyrinth. Let alone queen- like manners."
"Are you implying something?" I said as he lead me out of the dining room, kicking a goblin as we stepped into the throne room
"Yes, you are not familiar with most of the Labyrinth culture my dear and you need to impress the High King Azriel."
~*~
"Stand up now bow, sit down and cross your legs...no, no, NO! cross them with your left knee over you right one! God! people from the aboveground are so...so...so ignorant!"
I was sitting in the bedroom Jareth and I now shared, I was brushing my hair wearing nothing but a blue silk robe I stole from Jareth's wardrobe after I took a long bath...before the damned instructor came in. He was yelling about it was improper for a young queen to be bathing and staying in the kings chamber before they are married.
"Well, I'm sorry I'm distracted Sir but I'm telling a ball room full of strangers and the High King that I have to impress that I, a mere human, am going to marry his son!" I said, annoyance peeping out from my tone
"Okay you know how to sit, you know all the knowledge you would need to impress the high king, all you need to know it how to ballroom Dance." The instructor said as I slipped behind the silk screen.
"I Know how to ballroom dance, I learned how when we did Cinderella at my middle school so you might as well leave." I sneered, this guy was pompous and arrogant.
I heard the door open and close, after a few seconds passed I gave a big sigh of relief.
"Thank god, he is gone!" I shouted as I place the brush on the sink counter, pulling my hair up with a ribbon. I walked out from behind the screen and stopped, my hands gripping the silk robe and making the small thing cover as much as I could make it.
"Ja-Jareth..I'm sorry...I didn't know...I...I should take this off...oh! I..." I stuttered, trying to make a coherent thought.
He was sitting on the bed with a book in his left hand, his right booted ankle rested on his on his left knee, his riding crop was in it right hand as was lightly tapping the bottom of his right boot. He wore the grey tight tights from the 'Magic Dance' scene with black heeled boot and his amulet...but no shirt.
'He wants me to squirm, he wants me to feel uncomfortable, he thrives to be in control. Don't let it get to you, ignore it,' I told myself 'Don't pay attention to his. His fit, trim, sexy abs...and Ohhh stop it!' I told myself as I shook my head, as if to clear the thoughts from my head. It was then when I saw the title of the book he was reading.
"'Sense and Sensibility'? I love that book." I said suppressed he picked one of my favorite books.
"Yes, I do rather like the Brandon fellow. He seems to give Marianne all the attention she wants but she passes over him for the Willoughby fellow. Willoughby is going to break her heart in the end." He said smiling as he raised his gaze from the book to my eyes. "I'm glad you like to steal thing out of my wardrobe, Casey, If you want I can have the tailor make you one in time for tomorrow evenings bath after the ball." He mismatched eyes twinkled
I blushed "No Sir, It's fine, I don't mean to take your robe I just...I just...I don't know how I feel about getting married at my young age." I say sitting in a chair by the large fire marble place. Jareth stood up and when to the mantle and poured himself a glass of a caramel colored liquid. He sat down in the chair on my left, my legs were slung lazily over the left arm of the chair so I was facing Jareth. My arms were crossed over my chest and the silk robe was comforting but the chilly air was making me shiver.
"Yes, cold feet. Its happens with all women. But we have a few months before our official wedding, we are only announcing our engagement tomorrow night." He said sipping the liquid slowly
"It's not the marriage that scares me its the...duty, so to speak, of a queen to her kingdom...I don't think I'm ready to be a mother..." As soon as I said the word 'Mother' Jareth choked on the drink he had in his hand. I immediately jumped up out of my chair and rushed over to help. he held a hand up to me but I ignored it I lent over him and gave him one hard pant on the back, hoping I had helped and not made him angry. He looked up at me and I gave him a week smile, he smiled back and his eyes roamed up and down my body. I had not relised that the robe had fallen open more than I would have liked, enough to right through my cleavage. I blushed and started to close it but Jareth caught my wrist
"You need to be less shy around me, I am going to be your husband. Relax," He said easing me into his lap, I was stiff as a board "Relax, lean back and just relax." he rubbed my back and hummed a soft tune and I lent back onto his back. My mind was reeling and I was too tired to care about what was happening. "If you fall asleep I will lay you down in the bed, don't worry...I'll take care of everything..." He whispered in my ear as I started to dose off.
~*~
I wore up in the bed, my robe was still loosely wrapped around my body. I stretched and blinked as she sun hit my eyes. I looked for Jareth but I didn't see him, the room was empty other than me.
*Knock-Knock-Knock*
I looked towards the door as my small goblin maid came in with two large steaming buckets of hot water.
"Is miss ready for her bath?" she asked as she slipped behind the silk screen and poured the water into the porcelain bath. I stretched and threw off the blanket, I looked at myself in the mirror by the bath. I looked slightly paler than I was before I got here, my eyes were more of an icy blue and my ears were pointer.
"Tilly? Is there a side affect to living in the labyrinth for too long?" I asked as I slipped my robe off and slipped into the extremely hot water, she handed me some soap
"Yes Miss, if you are not born here after a few days, your eyes, complexion and ears all change."
"Oh..." was all I said as I continued to wash away my stress
Another knock came from the door
"Come in!" I shouted as I finished up my short bath.
"My lady, your ball gown is finished. I would like you to try it on." said the tailor as I towel dried my hair and pulled it up with a odd looking clip, it was jeweled incrusted and fit differently
"Sure, Sure. Thank you it looks spectacular." I said slipping it on with great care
"It was no trouble for me, miss. The rest of your clothes will be in the wardrobe by tomorrow morning" He said, fixing the hem as I looked at it though the mirror. The dress had a silver bodice and a poofy bottom, the whole thing was incrusted with jewels.
Once he was done he handed me a blue dress and told me Jareth was waiting for me in the dining hall, I quickly left after changing.
~*~ (Note- If you want to see what the ball gown looks like go to my homepage! Its down at the very bottom.)~*~
"I'm Sorry I was late Jareth, the fitting for the dress took longer than I thought.," I said as I slipped into the Dining hall
I looked towards The far end of the hall and stopped in my tracts, in the high backed chair was a man who looked similar to Jareth but had dark hair and his eyes were a strange shade of blue. There was a woman on his left, she had very long blonde hair and caramel eyes. On his right was Jareth, he looked a bit apprehensive but he got up and walked over to me. I had a confused look on my face,
"Relax, My mother and father have come early. Don't worry just...impress father." He whispered in my ear as he took my hand and lead me to the seat next to him. I nodded before he had me stop walking
"My dear this is His Majesty High King, Azriel and his wife High queen, Niamh. My parents." Jareth said giving me a week smile
"An honor, your majesties." I said giving them a low curtsy
"You may sit." said Azriel, gesturing with his hand to the chair.
I quickly sat, Jareth was on my left and the rest of the table shrunk and my chair moved, causing the large table to be a small square table so I was facing directly the High King. He smirked as gasped, surprised as we were shifted around.
"High Queen, your majesty if I heard right your name is Niamh?" I said before she smiled
"Please my dear, call me Niamh. But yes that is my name." She said smiling as she took my hand
I smiled before saying
"If I remember correctly from my mythology class your name, Niamh, is from Irish decent and is the name of daughter of the sea god." I said
"Yes, My, not many children know that. My Jareth has a very good taste in whished away brides, how old are you child?" she asked, her caramels eyes shining brightly
"I'm fourteen."
"Fourteen! My god you are young! How did you know of the words to wish yourself away?" Niamh said before talking a dainty bite of her egg
"I'm from the aboveground and we have an 1980s' movie called Labyrinth. I love the movie and I quote it all the time, I used the line many times but I mush have never met it as much as I had when it actual worked. But in the movie it never say anything about if you wish yourself away you would have to get married to the goblin king." I said with a blush
"That's how I meet the high king, I used to live aboveground." she said smiling at the king, who had not said a word since he told me I could sit.
"Mother, Casey is actually from the Boston area. I thought that's where you were from." Jareth said as we started to finish breakfasts.
"Really?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"This has truly been wonderful, shall we take a walk in the gardens?" The high king said unexpectedly, the first thing he said beside "You may Sit."
"Yes father." Jareth said obediently
As the king stood we all stood and followed him out, Jareth by his side and Niamh with me. She smiled as my lady in waiting goblin, Tilly gave us each a lace parasol.
"I'm sorry my husband is so stand off-ish, he mans well. Just the fact that Jareth has to marry an aboveground girl, that will defiantly anger most of the other underground kingdoms." She whispered as we pass a bush filled with pink flowers that smelt like cinnamon.
"There are other kingdoms?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting together.
"Yes, not only it is there a kingdom of Goblins, there are Fairies, Vampires, Warlocks, Werewolves. It is wonderful when all kingdoms together, the ball tomorrow is planed I presume?" Niamh said as I looked at Jareth wondering if he was from Fae or Warlock descent
"Yes, Jareth planed it all, I was passed out from the travel from the aboveground here, I got to design the dress a bit but that was about it." I said as we sat on a bench by a massive water fountain
"Ah, he always like to plan parties. When he was ten he planed his own birthday party." she laughed, it sounded like an angel's cry
"Really? I hope this is not rude in any way but of what decent is Jareth, on his father's side." I asked as polite as I could
"Oh that's not rude in anyway, My dear. He is father was Fae, the Fae kings always ruled over the goblins. When Azriel was King of the Goblins, I wished myself away and we got married in the same way you will, when a war broke out between most of the races kingdoms Azriel put together a Fae army with the goblin army and fought for peace. Because of him all of the clans are peaceful and so he was given the title High King, but he still ruled over the goblin kingdom. When Jareth was born my husband got about four acres from each kingdom, where they all touched and he built our Kingdom there," She said smiling as she told me about her wedding " when Jareth was old enough to rule his own kingdom, we gave him the goblin kingdom. Now Four thousand years have passed and he is finally gaining a queen, giving him the right to his birth title, High King."
"And where dose that leave me?" I asked as the men came to us.
"All you have to do is keep him happy and I don't mean just emotionality. That is the secret to keeping a happy marriage and an and even happier home." She said with a smile before getting up and kissing her husband on the cheek. I got up and Jareth took my arm, I smile and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before slipping out of his grasp and walking into the hedge maze, a little swing in my hips, and a giggle passed my lips, hoping Jareth was following me I slipped into the maze and hide hoping he would come and save me.